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Catskill Heaven - our weekend at Plattekill

See in HD..

A change of weekend plans allowed us to check out a mountain we have heard great things about. That mountain you ask is Plattekill Mountain which is located deep in the heart of the Catskills in Roxbury, New York.

Plattekill Mountain is often referred to as the Mad River Glen of the Catskills and is known to offer the most varied terrain for skiers and boarders within 3 hours of New York City.

For years we opted to ski more convenient mountains like Hunter and Windham or at times drive longer and further North to other ski areas; sadly and always passing this mountain up. This time, our opportunity came and we decided to make the drive and too see if this mountain would feel and ski like Mad River Glen, which is arguably one of our most favorite mountains in the East.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by all the staff and right away we felt at home. This place was inviting to all and the mountain though not the biggest, offered some nice looking, steep and long face runs and you could see there were many trails stemming off them. One run could become 3 when you count all the glades and bike trail that you are allowed to ski (at your own risk).

After two full days of skiing, meeting some of the coolest and hardcore skiers, teles-skiers, boarders in the New York City area, we would say hands down, this is the best mountain to ski in the Catskills, followed by Belleayre then Hunter following with Windham.
This is a ski mountain and not a resort. There is nothing fancy about the mountain but, it has so much more charm than many of the other places we have visited. Belleayre has that feeling too.

Naturally this is our opinion and we love Hunter and Windham too, though I will say that with all the years of my skiing at these mountains, we have not ever been greeted and accepted and incorporated into the family the way Plattekill has. A very close second would be Belleayre in the same area.

My Plattekill story is similar to yours, I skied the usual suspects in the Cats before finally giving Platty a shot. My only regret is that I waited so long to do so. I skied there Sunday, four days after the storm. The double wasn't spinning, but alot of the terrain on that side can be accessed from the triple without hiking. All of Blockbuster, less of the other trails, Freefall, Plunge, and Northface, as you traverse across the mountain. Rock skis were a must, and it was a workout skiing the firmed up snow, but I had fun on my private trails. After lunch I ditched my rock skis for my new sticks and ripped the open groomers on the triple side. The ungroomed side of Upper and Lower Face skied much better in the afternoon too. I skied it on my new skis and suffered not base damage.

I was supposed to ski Hunter with Scotty and JimG, but I discovered despite being listed on my home hill's website, they no longer have a reciprocal deal. I just couldn't stomach shelling out $76 to ski Hunter, so I headed to Platty for $35. As I was leaving I ran into Platty's owner Laszlo Vajtay. We've spoken before, but he doesn't know me. I told him how I ended up at Platty Sunday. He said he would do a reciprocal deal with Greek Peak, my home hill. I emailed their marketing manager, but haven't gotten a reply. I think I'll speak with someone there on my next visit, preferably one of the new owners. They grew up skiing Greek, and still do. I rode the chair with one of them last week. He was skiing with his Son.uploadfromtaptalk1418896796639.jpguploadfromtaptalk1418896814625.jpguploadfromtaptalk1418896831849.jpguploadfromtaptalk1418896859166.jpguploadfromtaptalk1418896868766.jpg

Plattekill looks in good shape already. It is a most interesting area. Love the natural bowl. 1st hit it way back in the 80's when it had the T-bar. Got my BOGO set up for a day there later this season. It is out there though.

Cornhead - how did we both pass up this place. Looking forward to going back!

IDK, maybe it was the "MRG of the Catskills" moniker for me, afraid I might be in over my head. It is a special place, so glad I finally did go. Hickory is on my hit list this year, never been. I'm gonna wait till they get dumped on and give em a go. Sounds like another great throwback place from what I gather, you've been, no?